With all the popcorn popping watchamacallit writing I have been doing lately, I thought it important to include a hub on commercial popcorn machines. First off, let's make sure we know what those are.

A commercial popcorn machine pops corn for sure -- loads of it. You will know a commercial popcorn machine when you see it because it does not look like it belongs in your home kitchen.

These popcorn machines belong in places like movie theaters, bowling alleys, arcades, arenas, and stadiums. In the popcorn appliance family, commercial popcorn machines do the heavy lifting you would never ask a home appliance to do.

Commercial popcorn machines are significant, burly -- the pop chieftains.

Big

The entry level -- if you will -- of commercial popcorn machines are the models that can make about 6 ounces of popcorn in a batch. These poppers are sufficient for convenience stores and restaurants -- the kinds of places where ownership wants popcorn to be part of their offering, but where demand would not justify a bigger machine.

You can buy this type of machine for about $250.00, but a sturdy one should run you double that. If you are considering a popcorn machine for your home -- perhaps you have a home theater and like to host viewing parties on a regular basis -- this size machine will more than meet your needs.

Larger operations -- like an art house cinema or a water park -- need a little something more. And that is where the next size of commercial popcorn rigs helps.

Machines with a capacity of at least 12 ounces fit in this category. These big poppers are substantial enough for most businesses' needs, and you will find them sturdy and fast.

As for what you can expect to pay for one, the lowest price point for this type of popcorn machine is right around $1,000.00.

There are those businesses that need the biggest popcorn contraption available -- and if you run one of those operations, it will not surprise you that you will need to have available $10,000.00 or more for your popcorn behemoth.

Stadiums and cineplexes need a popcorn machine with its own designated room, where its product can be put into large plastic bags for distribution to snack stands throughout the given facility. A machine like the one to the right can pop, pop, and not stop.

I do not expect many people will arrive at this hub searching for such a large machine, but if you need it, you will know.

If you look in your yellow pages under Vending Machines, you will be off to a good start. If you seek a big selection, go with a larger company. Hopefully, you will find one in your area that specializes in popcorn machines.

The company featured in the video to the right -- Gold Medal Products, in Ohio -- has a variety of machines available.

The convenience of researching and purchasing a popcorn machine online should outweigh the cost of long distance shipping. The online purveyors of popcorn machines offer a substantial selection -- you will surely find what you seek.

At Amazon.com, as with many a product category, they offer a wide selection of popcorn machines. Most people will be able to find what they are looking for from Amazon.

If you want a specialty vendor, try ePopcorn.com, which is a website that has been online since 1999, selling pretty much all things popcorn. They will even sell you one of those behemoth machines if you have something like a new concert arena to run.

Whatever type of machine suits your needs, I hope you have found this hub to be a good place to start.